


little boy blue and the man in the moon

by angelica_church_schuyler



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2019-02-04 08:38:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12767199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelica_church_schuyler/pseuds/angelica_church_schuyler
Summary: When Dustin Henderson is born, his father is equal parts elated and terrified.When Dustin Henderson is eight years old, his dad dies.





	little boy blue and the man in the moon

**Author's Note:**

> I have a headcanon that Dustin's dad is dead. I know for a fact that fic writers haven't been paying attention to the well of angst Dustin's absent father creates. And thus, my first fic was born. Enjoy!

When Dustin Henderson is born, his father is equal parts elated and terrified.  
In the three hours he's spent pacing back and forth in the waiting room, he's gone through his last two cartons of Philip Morris.  
He's extremely grateful when the doctor who calls his name immediately offers him a cigarette, before informing him that Claudia and their new baby boy are both happy and healthy.  
The relief he feels in that moment is shortly interrupted with one tiny three letter word.  
“But…”  
The young doctor's explanation of a congenital disorder known as ‘cleidocranial dysplasia’ (which, he's told, will affect the development of his baby's teeth and collarbones) does nothing to ease his rapidly growing fear.  
He takes a drag of the cigarette. He's always hated Marlborough and their obnoxious mascot, but he has to admit that, just this once, it helps a little.  
“Will he be okay?”  
The doctor smiles reassuringly.  
“You'll all be fine.”

 

When Dustin Henderson is three years old, his daddy is his favourite person in the whole world (except for mommy and Mews).  
Daddy isn't home for most of the day, but as soon as he walks in the door Dustin takes it upon himself to regale his dad with all of the hugs and questions he missed today.  
“Why is my hair curly?”  
“What's bigger, the world or Minnesota?”  
“Why do flowers look like that?” (Like what, honey?) “Like THAT.”  
“Daddy, how did you meet Grandma?”  
The questions are seemingly endless. Mommy usually sighs and gives the standard, boring answers. “Just because.” “I'll tell you later.” “Look it up.” But Daddy always answers them as well as he can, and if he can't he takes Dustin to the library near their house and they find out together.  
Mommy would describe him as “precocious”. Nonna says he's “molto noioso”. His daddy calls him “the most special kid in the world”.  
Dustin doesn't know all of those words yet, but he thinks they're probably good things.

 

When Dustin Henderson is six years old, his dad is the bestest, most awesome-est dad EVER, and if you say otherwise you're a liar.  
This was his first year of school, which he soon figured out means ‘learning’.  
Dustin learns how to read and write. He learns that numbers can be added up to make other numbers. He learns that actually, Minneapolis is IN Minnesota, which is IN America, which is IN the world, so the world is probably bigger than Minnesota.  
He also learns that he's weird.  
Other kids start to notice the lisp and the lack of collar bones.  
Other kids are mean.  
Back at home, his Mommy buys him comic books to help him learn how to read.  
His Daddy shows him old episodes of a show called Star Trek, and takes him to a new movie called Star Wars.  
Dustin learns everything he needs to know.  
He learns that being different can make other people mean, like in X-Men. But being different also makes you special, like in Star Trek. And being special gives you super powers, just like in Star Wars.  
He can't wait to learn more.

 

When Dustin Henderson is eight years old, his dad is dead.  
He finds out at school.  
He gets called to the principal’s office.  
At first it seems like a joke. A mean joke, probably planned by that meanie Brenda in Mrs Haverford’s class. She'd be the type.  
But it's not a joke. That becomes clear as soon as Principal Stephens explains that his mom will come pick him up soon, using a weird tone of voice to offer him a box of tissues.  
Dustin’s inquisitiveness gets the best of him (again) in the form of a tiny word with three letters.  
“How?”  
His mom explains through tears that it was a drunk driver.  
Dustin isn't totally sure what that means.  
He has a lot of questions, but he's scared to say them out loud.  
He just tries to be there for his mom.

 

When Dustin Henderson is nine years old, his dad is still in Minnesota.  
Technically.  
Which is why moving to Indiana is a dumb idea.  
His mom sees it a different way. According to her, they were only staying in Minnesota for Grandma. Now that she's dead (“Cardiac arrest”, said the doctors. “Broken heart,” said Mom) why would they stay?  
He screams at her for what feels like hours, finding every reason he can for them to stay. It'll disrupt his schooling.  
Mews will hate it.  
Minneapolis is way closer to Nonno and Nonna than Indiana.  
How many science museums are there in Hawkins?  
She doesn't listen.  
So he runs.  
He comes to a stop ten minutes away from home, half collapsing between two tombstones.  
Sobbing, he stares between the graves of JAMES ROBERT HENDERSON 1947-1979 and MARGOT IRIS HENDERSON 1918-1979.  
Dustin pours his heart out to two slabs of concrete.  
He doesn't want to leave. He doesn't want say goodbye to them. Not again.

 

The day before Dustin and Claudia Henderson officially move to Hawkins, Indiana, in Nowhere County, population No One, Dustin manages to sneak a rock into his bag.  
It's medium sized, the smoothest one he could find.  
Written on it using permanent marker and his neatest handwriting, are the names James Henderson (Dad) and Margot Henderson (Grandma).

The makeshift portable grave stays with him through everything. Through the initial bullying at his new school, through the disappearance and apparent death and resurrection of Will Byers, through the year El is gone, through the Dart saga and the Mind Flayer and the Snow Ball and all the other crazy shit that goes on in this weird ass town.  
It's his most private and most prized possession.  
It's almost like his dad is still there, whispering in his ear through it all reassuring him.  
“You'll all be fine.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it!  
> I might write more about Dustin at some point, would you guys like that?  
> I am not American so hopefully I didn't make any glaring mistakes, and I wasn't alive in the 70s but I did some research so I hope there's no historical inaccuracies either.  
> Also it's 3am im tired pls be kind  
> Title is from 'Cat's In The Cradle' by Harry Chapin.


End file.
